SIX OF THE BEST
Here, in lot order, is a look at half a dozen among the many choice yearlings who’ll go on offer at the Magic Millions yearling sale which gets underway on the Gold Coast on Tuesday.
LOT 185
B f Written Tycoon – Away Game (Snitzel)
From Yulong’s 37-lot draft comes an exciting filly first foal of one of the classiest sprinting mares of the past few years whose buyers can hope will be emulating her dam on the racetrack next door in 12 months’ time.
Australia’s Champion 2YO Filly of 2019-20, Away Game won five stakes races headed by the rich Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m). She also ran second in three Group 1s, including in Farnan’s (Not A Single Doubt) Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m).
At the conclusion of her racing career Away Game was purchased for $4 million – Australia’s second-highest broodmare price at that point – from the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale of 2022, for a first mating Yulong put her to their champion sire Written Tycoon (Iglesia).
It’s a cross that’s been proven to work spectacularly, with Written Tycoon over Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) mares producing performers including Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) hero Private Life, plus New Zealand Group 1 winners Velocious and Captured By Love.
“Written Tycoon has worked very well with Snitzel mares. On the pedigree side of things it works, and the physicals worked as well, with a lovely looking filly,” Yulong CEO Sam Fairgray said of this August-born yearling.
“She’s an exceptional first foal. She’s a great mover, has got good strength about her, and just fantastic brain – the best temperament you’ll find. Away Game isn’t big herself, very much in that Snitzel mould; she’s medium-sized, well balanced, and has plenty of strength about her. And this filly is very typical of what you’d think the mare would leave.”
LOT 224
B c Zoustar – Bonaria (Redoute’s Choice)
Widden Stud has the largest draft at the sale with 66 lots – none finer than this impeccably-bred son of their surging flagbearer Zoustar (Northern Meteor).
He’s out of Bonaria, the four-time stakes winner including of Flemington’s Myer Classic (Gr 1, 1600m) – now the Empire Rose Stakes – in 2014. The mare has had four winners from four runners including this colt’s sister Miss Aria, who’s been stakes placed four times.
This yearling is closely related to dual stakes placed Godolphin sprinter Pereille, since they share a recent influential tail female mare in Decidity (Last Tycoon).
What this colt also brings is an intricate duplication of the great Redoute’s Choice (Danehill), at 3f x 2f, a bold blend shown to work with another by the same stallion in dual Group 2 winner Haut Brion Her (Zoustar).
“It’s an interesting mating being inbred quite close to Redoute’s, but when we saw that work with Haut Brion Her, we tried it again through Bonaria,” said Widden’s Antony Thompson.
“There’s also been a nice little affiliation with Zoustar from other strains of Redoute’s and his sire Danehill, such as Joliestar being by Zoustar out of a mare by another son of Danehill in Fastnet Rock.
“Bonaria was a Group 1 winner at Flemington Derby Day, and this is probably the nicest colt of the three she’s had. He’s a lovely, impressive sort of colt with a great temperament, and a big action. He’s got everything you want in a Zoustar colt, and we think will be a pretty exciting horse late on day one.”
LOT 234
B c Siyouni – Bumbasina (Canford Cliffs)
This well-proportioned colt from Segenhoe Stud’s 33-lot draft has a few features that set him apart.
He’s about as early as they come, being born in late July.
He’s the only lot in the sale by French super sire Siyouni (Pivotal).
And that’s because he was bred to be a full-brother to the outstanding mare Amelia’s Jewel, winner of nine stakes races so far and successful from 1000 metres to the 1800 metres of her top-tier title in Ascot’s Northerly Stakes (Gr 1, 1800m).
Besides Amelia’s Jewel, her dam Bumbasina has also thrown her younger half-brother Bosustow (Blue Point), who’s become one of the better representatives of his Darley shuttle sire by being stakes-placed four times, including a third in Eagle Farm’s JJ Atkins (Gr 1, 1600m).
West Australian breeder Peter Walsh then sent Bumbasina back to France for two more southern-timed covers from Siyouni. The first produced this colt, born in France on July 30, 2023, while the mare has recently given birth to a sister at Segenhoe and is now in-foal to Zoustar.
“This is a very beautiful colt,” Segenhoe’s Peter O’Brien said of Lot 234. “He’s very much like his sister in that he’s got a great head, great colour, and is a neat type very typical of Siyouni’s progeny from what I’ve seen in Europe.
“He’s got a lot of power, a short back, big shoulder and hip, and a lovely action – better than Amelia’s Jewel at the same time because she never had a good action as a young horse.
“And you can’t say much more about the pedigree and the dam. One of hers is a Group 1 winner and the other’s Group 1-placed.”
LOT 272
Ch c Frankel – Cleanup (Dehere)
Vinery Stud offers this beautiful specimen by one of the world’s great sires, a colt who’s a half-brother to the outstanding Nettoyer (Sebring).
A well-proportioned eye-catcher with four white feet, the colt is the ninth foal of the city-winning Cleanup, whose six progeny to race have all been winners, four at city level.
They’re headed by Nettoyer, the dual Randwick 1600 metres Group 1 winner of the Doncaster Handicap and Queen Of The Turf Stakes, as well as three other stakes races.
Another half-sister is the four-year-old Changing Colours (The Autumn Sun), who’s won two of four for Chris Waller including at Caulfield Heath in November.
This late August colt is one of eight lots at the sale by Frankel (Galileo), the undefeated phenomenon who’s gone on to become Europe’s Champion Sire three times, leaving such stars as Alpinista, Cracksman and Inspiral, along with southern-time bred Australian dual Group 1 winners Converge and Hungry Heart.
“This is a strong, compact, well balanced and great moving colt who looks quite forward. He looks like he’ll run as a two-year-old,” said Adam White, bloodstock manager at Vinery, which has 38 lots entered at the sale.
“He’s obviously got a pedigree that’s recognised around the world, being by Frankel, and being a half brother to a very good mare who raced here.”
LOT 588
Ch c Snitzel – Lagertha (Scat Daddy)
This imposing looking sprinting style colt comes from the production line of Newgate Farm’s imported American mares – this time one covering both North and South America.
Powerful, close-coupled and muscular, the early September colt is the first foal of Lagertha, a daughter of the great Scat Daddy (Johannesburg) – sire of Justify and many more – who in the style of many Newgate mares showed form over sprint distances, but was versatile as well.
Bred in Chile but kicking off in the US, Lagertha won three races up to 1200 metres and was Group 3-placed over 1300 metres at Kentucky Downs. She then returned to her country of birth where she won a 1200-metre Listed event, ran a Group 2 second over 1600 metres, and was fourth in a 1700 metres Group 1.
Bought by Newgate at Lexington’s November Sale for $US300,000, Lagertha has twice been put to I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) without luck, but the cover in between yielded this colt who carries many of the hallmarks of his father, Arrowfield’s four-time champion sire Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice).
“He’s a big, strong, imposing colt out of a very talented Scat Daddy mare. He’s as tough as they come and I’m very confident he will be a runner,” said Henry Field, managing director of Newgate, the second most represented vendor at the sale, with 57 lots entered.
“We actually have three Snitzel colts in our draft that are hard to split. All are very high class horses and this colt is certainly high quality.”
LOT 717
B c Maurice – Never Been Kissed (Tivaci)
Maurice (Screen Hero) was “The Beast from the East”, and from Australia’s version of the far east – New Zealand – comes this younger likeness of his awesome-looking dad.
A beautifully coloured bay from Waikato Stud’s ten-lot draft, the September 21 colt exudes strength, from his imposing-looking rump through to his powerful wither, and boasts some ultra impressive bloodlines.
His sire Maurice has been one of the most successful shuttle stallions of modern times in Australia, represented by such stars as dual Derby winner Hitotsu – now his Arrowfield barnmate – Group 1-winning sprinter Mazu and more.
And this September colt’s dam Never Been Kissed was an outstanding racetrack performer. Trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, she made it three wins from four starts in taking the 2021 Flight Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m).
While that came at the juicy quote of $41, Never Been Kissed proved it was no fluke at her next start by running second to crack three-year-old colt Profondo (Deep Impact) in the Spring Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m). In her next and last campaign she was placed second at G2 level and ran fourth in Fangirl’s (Sebring) Vinery Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1850m), shortened upon its transferral to Newcastle.
“This is a great colt – he’s a big, strong beast of a thing,” said Waikato’s Mark Chittick. “He’s the first foal of a Group 1 winner and he’s everything you’d hope for being from such a mare.
“He’s just got power written all over him, but is also beautifully balanced and muscled in all the right places.”